Bulletproof
by AutumnrainChaos
Summary: In an Alternate Universe, the rules don't quite follow ours. A small group of 12 young adults have been trained in the masterful ways of murder since childhood and have finally been released into an unsuspecting world. All 12 have been hired by a secret organization to help keep the balance of the world, but mysterious things are happening - some very supernatural.
1. Thankless Job

_It's a thankless job, but somebody's got to do it! Like a mop, and a broom, no one wants a thankless job!_

* * *

Footsteps splashed into puddles, rapidly running from the few bars of Ode to Joy that echoed in a hum. Heavy breathing suggested the owner of the rapid feet was running in terror, and who could blame them? In fact, the moment he realized who it was that was after him, was the moment he knew his life was forfeit. Still, he tried to run as far away as possible, but that humming - that _song_ only got louder as the singer came closer. He was doomed! FUCK. And now cornered. Wheezing echoed against the alley walls, only to be usurped by the humming. More bars of this classical song. He fumbled to pull a gun from his pocket, his hands shaking as he aimed for a looming shadow. So close. If he could hold his hand steady just enough, he could kill him before he got too close! Hahaha, it was the perfect plan! Only...

"N-NO!" he shouted, firing his gun rapidly at the man in he white suit. White Suit was fast, but not too fast. A bullet grazed him, a frown set on his face as he brushed a thumb against the bullet. He shook his head, tsking lightly. The terrified man noted a gap in White Suit's teeth. He swallowed the lump in his throat and slid to the ground. "P-Please-! Please, I'll give you anything you want! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME-" Words were cut short as a clean cut slid across his jugular, cutting just so the man died, but didn't cause a blood squirt. Instead, the blood just dribbled from the dying man's throat. He reached out, gurgling at him before collapsing.

A heavy sigh escaped White Suit. "Messy, messy, messy," he mumbled, snapping rubber gloves on to rid the body of any known evidence. An angry wind howled through the alley. A phone rang, Ode to Joy echoing quietly. A shift came from White Suit, but he made no urgent move to answer it. Just before the last ring, he answered it with a curt "hello." He spoke not another word as the person on the other line proceeded to talk, a nod here and there in response. "Understood," he finally said. "I will report to you soon." He hung up then, letting it slide into his breast pocket. Clearly there was nothing left to do here. He'd have to call C.U.C. to collect the body before the police discovered it.

Another ring. _My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they're like it's better than yours, damn right it's better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to char-_ "ARC," said the young man with the gap-toothed scowl. "How many times have I asked you to not change the ringtones on my phone? Especially to something so distasteful."

 _"Pfft, what? You don't like Fergie? Come on, don't you wanna attempt to dance to it?"_

"That is hardly the case," said White Suit, leaving the scene of the crime. "Why are you calling me now?"

 _"Pinky got hurt and needs his Mommy-"_ the woman named ARC was rather suddenly interrupted by shouting from behind her.

 _"I TOLD YOU TO QUIT CALLING ME THAT STUPID NAME!"_

 _"I hurt his feelings. You'll be back soon then?"_

"Yes," sighed White Suit. "I'll be there shortly. Send C.U.C. to my coordinates please."

 _"Aye, aye, Cap'n."_ said the woman, and the line went dead. White Suit chuckled gently and slipped into the night.

This was a typical night for the Assassins, though Eddward was usually more careful about his targets. As he arrived at Headquarters, he could hear pleasant laughing coming from behind the doors. Seemed everyone was home for the time being, how quaint. Eddward was far too busy to kick back and relax, but he bid his friends and comrades a good evening as he walked by them.

"Hey, Sockhead, where ya going?" Eddy called out to him. He was listening to Nazz tell her story of her target from that morning.

"Medical Wing," Edd responded with a wave of his hand and moved down the halls. As he walked, he removed his soiled gloves and paused only to toss them in the garbage that needed to be incinerated. He pat his hands and tipped his hat back, exhaling a bit of air through semi-closed lips. Well, time to get this over with. Open went the doors, and in went Eddward.

"I SWEAR TO ALL THAT IS FUCKING HOLY AS SOON AS I'M BETTER I'LL SHOVE A BULLET UP YOUR ASS!" was what Eddward was greeted with. Kevin, a redhead who was usually far more careful during his missions to be holed up in the medical wing, was threatening a violet haired girl who seemed to not care what he had to say whatsoever. Eddward was unamused as Kevin grabbed the closest thing he could reach without moving so much and threw it at her. She laughed and dodged the onslaught, bumping into Edd. Kevin tensed, as did the girl. Quickly she pulled away and smiled sheepishly at him.

"You're instigating him, ARC," Edd scolded with a smile. He wagged a finger at her. She saluted him and quickly left the two alone. Edd's blue eyes glanced over to Kevin. "You are also at fault."

"What the fuck? She started it! I dunno why she keeps using those stupid names and treating me like-"

"She likes you. Please mind your language." He grabbed a medical kit and sat on a rolling stool. He used his feet to roll himself to Kevin and set the kit aside. "She is very good at what she do- Good heavens, what happened to you?" He picked up the others arm.

"I could say the same thing to you. Since when do you get hit?" He brushed his fingers along the thin wound from where the bullet had grazed him. Edd swat at his hand and Kevin shrugged.

"I was careless. Did something bite you?"

"Felt like it." He watched Edd work on cleaning the wounds. "Suit's getting dirty."

"I'll burn it later," said Eddward, knocking his hat back to get a look at what he was doing. He looked annoyed as he cleaned Kevin's wounds, muttering under his breath. "How could you have been so careless? These wounds are terrible, Kevin. It's a good thing you came back so quickly or you may have lost some limbs. Though you will be out of commission for a while until you are completely healed. Lord knows if I let you go, you'll reopen every wound, do something worse, and get yourself killed." Kevin watched him with half-lidded eyes. "I'll have to check you for broken bones, and see if there's any internal bleed- Kevin, please refrain from touching me in inappropriate places whilst I tend to your injuries." Kevin's hand groped a little further and Edd pulled a scalpel on him and stabbed the seat next to the redhead. He instantly stopped and pulled his hand back. "I missed on purpose."

Kevin cleared his throat. "Right. I was just... you look really hot when you're yellin' at me."

"You're deplorable, Kevin."

"I do my best," he smirked. After he was bandaged, Edd carefully examined him for broken bones. During this process, Kevin would not try anything funny, knowing full well that skilled hands could simply kill him if he pushed the wrong buttons. Once satisfied that Kevin wasn't dying from the inside, Eddward pulled away to dispose of anything contaminated. "Thanks, Double Dee."

"My pleasure, Kevin. It is my specialty. Now, I require you to go and get some rest. Tomorrow, I will inspect your wounds once more and see how you're healing. I do ask that you please try and get along with ARC. She has been doing this quite a bit longer than we have, and she is the best Technician we have."

"Ugh, fine." Kevin grabbed his hat and weapons. He grimaced a bit, grunting when he shifted his weight. Edd watched him before offering a hand. "Thanks," he breathed. "Broken ribs... not fun. But hey, you said no internal bleeding, so I'm fine. And I'll be nice to her, I promise. She just... gets under my skin."

"It's done on purpose. You're terribly easy to tease." He'd help Kevin to his room and onto his bed. "This is where I leave you, Kevin. Good night." He wouldn't make it too far, though, with Kevin dragging him back. "Kevin." There was a warning in his tone. "This is not appropriate. You'll open every wou-"

"Man, shut up," said Kevin, pulling him down and kissing him. "I can't do anything physical anyway. Just staying with me ain't a big deal, right?" He poked Edd's nose, something the two shared during intimate moments. "Stay with me, Dork. I'd like the company."

"Yes fine," Eddward admitted in defeat. "But I'll need to change out of these."

"Eh, just sleep naked."

"Kevin," scoffed Edd, pushing him lightly. "Just relax. I'll return momentarily." Kevin sat on the bed, wincing as he breathed. He wouldn't be able to change on his own. When Edd returned, the redhead would embarrassingly ask for help, to which Eddward complied with a kind smile. Moments later, the duo would be snuggled under the covers. Edd had opted to wear his standard black beanie with the white stripes, making Kevin smile. "Good night, Kevin."

"Night, Dork," said Kevin, carefully pulling Edd close and drifting off into a much needed sleep.


	2. Little Talks

_Soon it will all be over, and buried with our past. We used to play outside when we were young. And full of life and full of love_

* * *

Kevin awoke to intense pain in his sides and spat a curse when he realized where he'd been sleeping was wet. His bite wound had reopened and soaked through the bandages that Edd had administered earlier that evening. Edd woke moments later and hurried to grab the medical kit to change it. The ache in Kevin's sides remained and he did his best to control the labored pain. While they slept, he must've subconsciously clung to the other, as he knew he had a tendency to do, and pressed him to close to broken ribs. He'd also torn open the wound, but that was a given with where his arm had been placed when he woke with a start.

When Edd returned, Kevin noticed that blood had soaked onto the others bed clothes. "H-Hey, y-your-"

"Stop talking," Edd scolded and retrieved a bit of paracetamol from the medical box and a sterile needle. Immediately, Kevin scooted away, eyes narrowed down at the needle as if it had offended his family. Edd paused. "Please don't be serious. You're in incredible amounts of pain, and the paracetamol needs to be taken. I have no other form of it-"

"Nuh-uh, fuck that, I'd rather be suffering."

"You're being ridiculous," Edd stated, setting the needle aside on a clean surface. "How can you handle being shot and bitten as deep as you have been, but not stand a needle that will alleviate your pain?"

"I said 'no', dammit!"

"You won't even feel it," he seethed, climbing onto the bed where the other was cornered. "I am sorry to have to do this to you, Kevin, but an injection is required so I may properly care for you!" He grabbed at him, but Kevin was faster and slipped off the bed. He was tangled in the sheets and hit the floor hard, groaning aggressively. Eddward winced and promptly went to his side. "You are such an idiot! Don't move, before you puncture a lung!" He forwent the pain medication and just quickly examined Kevin. Nothing seemed worse than before, but this just put Kevin out of commission even longer.

Kevin grumbled as he lay on the ground, half wrapped in the bedding. Edd didn't even bother to help him and just cleaned and rebandaged the opened wound on his arm. "I should just let you sleep on the floor," he scolded. "It would teach you a lesson."

"About being scared of needles?" he scoffed. "You're shitting me, right?"

"Language," warned Edd and disposed of the medical waste. Kevin watched him silently disappear out his bedroom and sighed very carefully, the corner of his mouth twitching from the twinge of pain his breathing caused. He knew Double Dee was angry with him, but he had to understand that everyone had an irrational fear, right? Kevin hated his, but he couldn't get over it. Needles made his skin crawl.

Edd's shadow loomed over him. "Open your mouth," he said. Kevin refused though. "Kevin. I managed to find something else. It's the same medication, the same dosage, just in different form." Kevin sat up slowly. Edd gave him a glass of water and dropped one tablet in his hand. "With water, and all of it please."

Kevin shrugged. Better than a needle, and that's all he gave a damn about. The tablet was foul, but he washed away the bitter taste with the water. "H-How long before i-it helps any?" Edd was changing the sheets as Kevin relaxed on the floor. The sheets were set aside, and Edd checked to make sure the blood did not soak through the mattress. Thankfully, they were lucky in that aspect. He made the bed quickly yet efficiently and helped Kevin back onto it. "Hey Edd… How long?"

"It could take up to one hour," Edd said with a frown.

"What the hell, an hour?!"

"I chose to _not_ give you the codeine, because it is far too strong and could affect your stomach. The paracetamol should work equally as well with very low chances of any side-effects. I assumed you would appreciate that more than instant relief for the time being." He had to change his clothes though, pulling off his shirt and tossing it atop the pile of soiled linen. Whatever, he could sleep like this.

Edd, like all the others in their profession, had quite a few souvenirs from their jobs. Kevin's were far worse, ending in knotted scars and long lasting bruises. A few surgeries, and then a skin graft from a year back when one of Kevin's targets had known he was coming and used a vile of acid to stop him. Kevin was burned dangerously in the assault, but managed to complete his job in the end. Of course, they had to act quickly, neutralize the acid before it ate away past the epidermis and into the nervous system. Thankfully, Edd always carried something on him and he managed to save Kevin's arm in time. Unfortunately, he had to have the skin grafted to help heal the injury.

Still, the few on Edd's body were mostly from his partners at the time. The Ed's caused a great deal of collateral damage together as a trio, and they always got hurt in the process. Only once was one of Edd's injuries caused by his own misdoings, but Kevin chose to not remember that time. Well once, not counting the small nick he had received just recently.

An hour passed and Kevin's labored breathing rested to a more comfortable state. Edd lay back down with him. "It should last at least 4 hours, 6 at most. Let's hope for the best, and pray it's 6 hours. That much sleep will be needed to help with your recovery." Kevin tweaked Edd's nose then, eyes half-lidded. "Ouch! Why on earth did you do that?"

"Shh," Kevin grumbled and hugged him gently. "I just wanna sleep. I don't wanna hear you nag me like my mother, just - SHH." He closed his eyes and listened to the breathing of his bed partner. It was irritated at first, causing him to smirk. Soon enough, it calmed and the body beside him only curled in close and eventually drifted off to sleep. Kevin remained awake for a while longer, thinking. His wounds shouldn't have opened as easily as they had. Edd was not careless - in fact he ranked top in all of his classes since they were children. He was a highly skilled surgeon, and knew anything medical one could throw at him. He frowned and shifted away to sit up, leaving Edd to sleep in the bed alone. He kissed his head gently and quietly left the room.

His body was mildly numb to the pain he was experiencing, thanks to the paracetamol. Everyone who wasn't on a job would or should be asleep by now, except for one person. He silently made his way down the halls in barefeet and baggy pyjama bottoms, until he found the only room with light still dancing. The violet haired girl sat with black lens goggles over her eyes and a controller in her hand. She was staring intently at a computer screen with a steaming mug of tea on her right side and a bag of chips on the floor. She kept her desk area clean to avoid any sort of damage to her machinery, but around it was a disaster. Kevin made a face as he leaned on the door, wrapped in bandages that left him shirtless.

"This place is a mess."

"I don't pay you for your opinions," she said, refusing to avert her gaze from the screen. She stopped whatever she was playing for a moment to stretch her arms over her head and spun in her chair to face him. "You can turn on the light." Kevin's hand lay flat on the wall and slid up, hitting the switch to reveal the violet haired computer technician who affectionately went by "ARC." She scrunched her nose at the disaster that was her work space, slid her goggles from her eyes to her neck and got up to clean the place. Kevin watched her from the door until she shoved a rolling chair his way with a foot. "Sit, Pinky."

"Man, why do you call me that?"

"Obscure 90's character references," she stated. "Because Edd is Brain- never mind." She waved a hand at him and set the garbage bag aside. She grabbed her tea and sat down again, sipping it while she watched him. "Can't sleep huh? Saw Double Dee dash down the hall-" she paused and giggled then, Kevin raising an eyebrow "-a bit ago. Reopened your injuries, didja?" He scowled and ran a hand through buzzed red hair, his signature bangs resting against his face. "Thought so. Want some tea?"

"What?" he asked. He hadn't actually heard her. She knew though, and quickly handed him a mug with a simple caffeine-free tea bag and steaming hot water. He thanked her curiously. "What's this for?"

"It'll help you relax," she said, sitting down with a smile. "So what's up, Pinky? Couldn't fall back asleep with your boy?" She looked genuinely concerned. It puzzled Kevin. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I actually care for you assholes."

He sighed and sipped at his tea. "Yeah, yeah. I know you did, or because Edd tells me. Also says you tease me for the same reason."

"You are avoiding the conversation."

He sucked through his teeth. She was pretty preceptive. "Yeah okay. I can't sleep and I did reopen my wounds, what more do you want?" He scowled, angry for no reason. She gave him a dirty look and he huffed. "I'm just thinking about my targets from earlier. You don't happen to have that on file, do ya?"

"Does Ed love chickens, Kevin?" she rhetorically asked with sarcasm.

"I uh… yes?"

"That was a rhetorical question, but thanks for keeping up with me there, Skippy." She pat his knee with a smirk and turned to her computer while he grunted at her. "I record everything you idiots do. I have too. It helps you guys and me. Plus a lot of other secret things behind your back, blah blah blah. Hang on." Her fingers rapidly typed away on the screen before pulling up a video from the cameras in the building Kevin had been in. All angles appeared on the screens around them and she turned what wasn't facing him towards him. "If you see anything you like, let me know and I'll stop."

Kevin leaned in closer and watched. "There," he finally said. "Right there. Stop the playback." She did and scooted his way. "What the hell is that?" He narrowed his eyes curiously, trying to make out the creature that had attacked him. The video feed was too blurry, or this thing was too fast to make out properly. "H-hey hold on, is someone there? Who's that? Right there, can you blow that up?" She tapped at the keys. He grit his teeth, his knuckles turning white.

"Who is that?" she asked.

"Kankers."


	3. Be Ok

_Open me up and you will see. I'm a gallery of broken hearts. I'm beyond repair, let me be. And give me back my broken parts_

* * *

Eddward reached for the empty spot next to him on the bed and grumbled, peeking an eye open. Kevin had been gone for a while; his spot was cold. The young man sat up, rubbing his eyes and sighed. Kevin was supposed to be resting, not meandering about Headquarters. A glance at his watch told him it was well past 3 am. Well, if he was just going to leave Eddward alone, then Edd might as well just go back and sleep in his own bed. Grabbing at the discarded hat and soiled shirt, he left the redhead's room to hunt him down.

"Keviiiiiiin," ARC whined at him. She was laying over her bed, looking rather exhausted. "I need to sleeeeeeep. Can't we do this when the sun's out? I don't wanna think about it anymore." She watched Kevin frantically play the video over and over, sorting through printed photos and documents recovered, and getting angry and throwing papers in the air. "Come on, Pinky! Get out!"

"Ugh!" he snorted at her, grabbing the papers he'd thrown again. "But I gotta figure this out! You saw what I saw, didn't you? We dunno what the hell that _thing_ is, and we saw a Kanker! KANKERS!"

"Calm down," she said, chucking a pillow at him. He dodged it. "And get out! There's no sense in worrying about this right now because it won't do you any good. We can't do squat until the sun comes up, and I've had some sleep. Do you always act like this, or is this new because you're getting cabin fever? Go and read a book, or watch a movie, or something! Just…" She rolled out of her bed and pushed him out the door. "Just go!"

Kevin grimaced as her small fingers dug gently into his sides, causing his bruised and broken ribs to ache. When she finally got him out, she closed the door and left the ginger on his own outside in the hall. "ARC!" he shouted to her. "Dammit!"

"You know, Kevin," came Edd's voice. The redhead turned on his heel to the other. "If you didn't want me to stay over, you should have let me known earlier. I would have rather have slept in my own bed." Uh-oh, he was pissed.

"Nuh-uh, no it's not like that," he quickly defended himself, hands waving with papers in them. Edd's blue eyes followed the papers and he reached out to snatch them while Kevin kept talking. "I couldn't sleep, and I kept thinking about my earlier job, so I had to go and figure it out. I came to ARC and we watched the video feed."

"Is this what attacked you?" Eddward asked, eyes narrowing onto the blurry creature. "How odd. It has the bone structure of a canine, however, the elongated maxilla suggests that this creature has been threw some sort of mutation. That would make sense, since the puncture wounds in your arm did resemble the teeth of a dog." He flipped through the stills and paused at the last one. In the corner of the photo, one could clearly make out the lithe body of a one Marie Kanker. Edd's lip twitched, unsure of how he felt by this. "ARC gave you this?"

"Yeah but she kicked me out because she wanted to sleep."

"You can't blame her," said Edd, opening her door and walking in. Kevin followed curiously. "She has to sleep at some point. I've told her quite a few times she needs to go to bed at a decent hour." He stood in the center of the room, shaking his head. "And she hasn't been eating properly, of course." ARC lay half-asleep in her bed, clinging to a pillow with her goggles partially falling off her head. In a delicate manner, Edd removed them and located a blanket. Carefully, he draped it over her and sighed. "I'm pleased you two are getting along." He brushed hair back from her face and leaned in to give her head a small kiss. Kevin bristled at that, but Eddward either didn't notice or didn't care. He turned off her computer monitors and led Kevin back out and down the hall towards the ginger's bedroom. "You should sleep as well."

"Hey," he said with a scowl, being led on. "What's your relationship with ARC anyway?" Eddward paused mid-step and turned his head back over his shoulder. The look he bore was that of a mixture of confusion and amusement. Kevin's scowl only deepened. "Don't look at me like that! I'm serious, what'd you two got anyway?"

"My dear Kevin," Edd said sweetly, "are you perhaps, envious?" He chuckled when Kevin confirmed his jealous feelings by tensing and looking away. "I've no type of relationship with ARC past that of a sibling relationship. Upon first arriving to Headquarters a few years ago, I realized I was having a difficult time adjusting. I had a very short temper with my missions and how I was being disregarded." They'd returned to Kevin's room by then, having stopped by Edd's room only so he could procure a shirt for himself. Kevin had never heard of Edd's first impression of HQ. They'd not become close until a year ago. He joined the other on the bed, lights off, and listened to him speak. "I was on a mission alone with ARC as my assistant through telecommunications. I had very nearly gotten caught after achieving my goal and locating a particular item. She assisted me through some air ducts until I was able to escape.

"It wasn't until I returned to Headquarters that I realized the gravity of my situation and what she'd done. She'd risked her life, physically, to come to my aid and overrode the security systems. All cameras pointed to her and led my targets men to her location. She had barely escaped, only sustaining a few injuries." He smiled and shook his head. "Jack was rather furious with me for being so reckless that he punished me to work at her side and learn what she does. Six months." He took in a deep breath. "I learned what she could teach me, and I taught her some things myself. Together, we managed to invent a few new tools that we've been using to this day."

Kevin chewed on his lip. "That's it?"

"I learned a bit of personal information about her as well, and she of mine. I still owe her my life, no matter how many times she tells me I'm being ridiculous. ARC is terribly important to me, as are you. There are plenty of reasons I try to get you two to get along." He scooted closer to Kevin and pressed in against his side. "We should sleep. Tomorrow, I must redress your wounds and go over your x rays. I fear I may have missed something."

Kevin kissed Double Dee's forehead in a more intimate manner than Edd had with ARC. He thought things over a bit. He had learned a bit of what his boyfriend's relationship was with the Response girl, and what it was he'd faced earlier that night. However, more questions were posed than answers given, and it only annoyed him more than his injuries. He felt Eddward's breathing change, noting the other had fallen asleep. ARC was right. There really _was_ no sense in worrying about anything for the time being. Nothing could or would be solved until rest was had and Kevin was able to properly complete a job.

If his injuries took too long, Jack would get suspicious and he'd force Kevin and Edd away from each other until he healed. Or, he'd kill Kevin because the redhead was useless. Kevin gave a shudder at that. Very few assassins actually had the chance to retire, and Kevin wanted to be one of them. He lay back and closed his eyes. Tomorrow, he wanted to talk to ARC again. He knew that whatever they found, they would need to inform Jack.

A mutated dog-like creature and the Kankers. Things were about to get worse, Kevin could feel it in the pit of his stomach.


	4. Kiss With a Fist

_You hit me once, I hit you back. You gave a kick, I gave a slap. You smashed a plate over my head, then I set fire to our bed_

* * *

Eddward reached for the empty spot next to him on the bed and grumbled, peeking an eye open. Kevin had been gone for a while; his spot was cold. The young man sat up, rubbing his eyes and sighed. Kevin was supposed to be resting, not meandering about Headquarters. A glance at his watch told him it was well past 3 am. Well, if he was just going to leave Eddward alone, then Edd might as well just go back and sleep in his own bed. Grabbing at the discarded hat and soiled shirt, he left the redhead's room to hunt him down.

"Keviiiiiiin," ARC whined at him. She was laying over her bed, looking rather exhausted. "I need to sleeeeeeep. Can't we do this when the sun's out? I don't wanna think about it anymore." She watched Kevin frantically play the video over and over, sorting through printed photos and documents recovered and getting angry and throwing papers in the air. "Come on, Pinky! Get out!"

"Ugh!" he snorted at her, grabbing the papers he'd thrown again. "But I gotta figure this out! You saw what I saw, didn't you? We dunno what the hell that _thing_ is, and we saw a Kanker! KANKERS!"

"Calm down," she said, chucking a pillow at him. He dodged it. "And get out! There's no sense in worrying about this right now because it won't do you any good. We can't do squat until the sun comes up, and I've had some sleep. Do you always act like this, or is this new because you're getting cabin fever? Go and read a book, or watch a movie or something! Just…" She rolled out of her bed and pushed him out the door. "Just go!"

Kevin grimaced as her small fingers dug gently into his sides, causing his bruised and broken ribs to ache. When she finally got him out, she closed the door and left the ginger on his own outside in the hall. "ARC!" he shouted to her. "Dammit!"

"You know, Kevin," came Edd's voice. The redhead turned on his heel to the other. "If you didn't want me to stay over, you should have let me known earlier. I would have rather have slept in my own bed." Uh-oh, he was pissed.

"Nuh-uh, no it's not like that," he quickly defended himself, hands waving with papers in them. Edd's blue eyes followed the papers and he reached out to snatch them while Kevin kept talking. "I couldn't sleep, and I kept thinking about my earlier job, so I had to go and figure it out. I came to ARC and we watched the video feed."

"Is this what attacked you?" Eddward asked, eyes narrowing onto the blurry creature. "How odd. It has the bone structure of a canine, however, the elongated maxilla suggests that this creature has been through some sort of mutation. That would make sense since the puncture wounds in your arm did resemble the teeth of a dog." He flipped through the stills and paused at the last one. In the corner of the photo, one could clearly make out the lithe body of a one Marie Kanker. Edd's lip twitched, unsure of how he felt by this. "ARC gave you this?"

"Yeah, but she kicked me out because she wanted to sleep."

"You can't blame her," said Edd, opening her door and walking in. Kevin followed curiously. "She has to sleep at some point. I've told her quite a few times she needs to go to bed at a decent hour." He stood in the center of the room, shaking his head. "And she hasn't been eating properly, of course." ARC lay half-asleep in her bed, clinging to a pillow with her goggles partially falling off her head. In a delicate manner, Edd removed them and located a blanket. Carefully, he draped it over her and sighed. "I'm pleased you two are getting along." He brushed hair back from her face and leaned in to give her head a small kiss. Kevin bristled at that, but Eddward either didn't notice or didn't care. He turned off her computer monitors and led Kevin back out and down the hall towards the ginger's bedroom. "You should sleep as well."

"Hey," he said with a scowl, being led on. "What's your relationship with ARC anyway?" Eddward paused mid-step and turned his head back over his shoulder. The look he bore was that of a mixture of confusion and amusement. Kevin's scowl only deepened. "Don't look at me like that! I'm serious, what'd you two got anyway?"

"My dear Kevin," Edd said sweetly, "are you perhaps, envious?" He chuckled when Kevin confirmed his jealous feelings by tensing and looking away. "I've no type of relationship with ARC past that of a sibling relationship. Upon first arriving at Headquarters a few years ago, I realized I was having a difficult time adjusting. I had a very short temper with my missions and how I was being disregarded." They'd returned to Kevin's room by then, having stopped by Edd's room only so he could procure a clean shirt for himself. Kevin had never heard of Edd's first impression of HQ. They'd not become close until a year ago. He joined the other on the bed, lights off, and listened to him speak. "I was on a mission alone with ARC as my assistant through telecommunications. I had very nearly gotten caught after achieving my goal and locating a particular item. She assisted me through some air ducts until I was able to escape.

"It wasn't until I returned to Headquarters that I realized the gravity of my situation and what she'd done. She'd risked her life, physically, to come to my aid and overrode the security systems. All cameras pointed to her and led my targets men to her location. She had barely escaped, only sustaining a few injuries." He smiled and shook his head. "Jack was rather furious with me for being so reckless that he punished me to work at her side and learn what it was she did for us. Six months." He took in a deep breath. "I learned what she could teach me, and I taught her some things myself. Together, we managed to invent a few new tools that we've been using to this day."

Kevin chewed on his lip. "That's it?"

"I learned a bit of personal information about her as well, and she of mine. I still owe her my life, no matter how many times she tells me I'm being ridiculous. ARC is terribly important to me, as are you. There are plenty of reasons I try to get you two to get along." He scooted closer to Kevin and pressed in against his side. "We should sleep. Tomorrow, I must redress your wounds and go over your x rays. I fear I may have missed something."

Kevin kissed Double Dee's forehead in a more intimate manner than Edd had with ARC. He thought things over a bit. He had learned a bit of what his boyfriend's relationship was with the Response girl, and what it was he'd faced earlier that night. However, more questions were posed than answers given, and it only annoyed him more than his injuries. He felt Eddward's breathing change, noting the other had fallen asleep. ARC was right. There really _was_ no sense in worrying about anything for the time being. Nothing could or would be solved until rest was had and Kevin was able to properly complete a job.

If his injuries took too long, Jack would get suspicious and he'd force Kevin and Edd away from each other until he healed. Or, he'd kill Kevin because the redhead was useless. Kevin gave a shudder at that. Very few assassins actually had the chance to retire, and Kevin wanted to be one of them. He lay back and closed his eyes. Tomorrow, he wanted to talk to ARC again. He knew that whatever they found, they would need to inform Jack.

A mutated dog-like creature and the Kankers. Things were about to get worse, Kevin could feel it in the pit of his stomach.


	5. Shoop

_Oh, you make me wanna shoop, hey yeah, I wanna shoop, baby_

* * *

 _Hey, yeah - I wanna shoop, baby. Shoop shoop ba-doop Shoop shoop-_

"Really?" Eddward sighed as he answered the phone, holding it between his shoulder and ear. Below him lay a body of an individual gagged and bound. Eddy stood beside him, smirking. He liked ARC. She picked the most amusing songs to tease Double Dee with. "I was in the middle of a procedure."

 _"Yes I know, I'm watching you. However, you're going to have to put that on pause. Jack wants you guys back."_

Edd looked up to Eddy and Ed. "Jack wants us to return."

"What? We didn't even finish what we came to do." Eddy scowled and whistled to Ed. "Yo Lumpy!"

 _"I know,"_ said ARC. She was spinning her chair from left to right and right to left. Kevin was in the room with her, sitting on her bed. He wore less bandages now, it having been nearly a week and a half after his attack. The wound on his arm was still the worst out of all his injuries, and the lack of healing perplexed Eddward. _"You'll just have to bring him back. You can finish what you have to do in the labs."_ She rubbed her eyes and glanced to the redhead. He was still pouring over the documents from the first night. "What? Oh. Well, I mean, you could just knock him out and bring him in? Have Big Ed carry the body. Don't make him kill him though. Yeah. Okay see you soon." She turned to Kevin. "Still stuck on that, are ya?"

"This is driving me crazy." Kevin fell back on her bed. "I can't figure out what this stupid fucking thing was or is, and why it's connected to Marie Kanker." His nostrils flared. "What'd you think?"

"I think you _are_ going crazy," she agreed, nodding. "And I also think that you should wait until the next time you go out. You have to get that arm to heal, Kev. It's the arm you use to fire the stupid gun." She yawned. "Hey, I'm hungry. Are you hungry?"

He watched her curiously. "When was the last time you ate?"

"I dunno… yesterday maybe?"

"Ugh. Edd's right, you _are_ hopeless." He stood up and grabbed the back of her chair. She clung to it as he rolled the chair out into the hall and spun it in front of him. She gasped as he pushed her down the hall with ease towards the galley.

"You know," she laughed, as he walked through the swinging doors backwards, her rolling chair still in hand, "I could've walked."

"Yeah, but this was easier. Chair moves faster than you do." He set her chair in front of a table. At the table sat Sarah and Jimmy who looked up the moment the violet haired Response girl was placed at the end. She waved sheepishly to them and they smiled and waved back. "Sup." Kevin said, nodding to them. "Make sure she stays. I'm getting grub."

"Wait, Kevin-! NOTHING WITH TOMATOES!"

He stopped at looked at her. "The hell kind of Italian doesn't like tomatoes?"

"Shut-wait how did you know-?" She huffed at him as he smirked and walked away. "Ugh, cheeky ass!" She looked back at her table guests. "So hey. How's work going?"

"Kinda weird to see Kevin getting along so well with others," Sarah said, sipping at her water through a bright pink straw. ARC's look made her laugh. "Not it's not a bad thing. I just think it's nice."

"Work is going well," said Jimmy, responding to ARC's question since Sarah had not. "We do have a new target we should be preparing for." He set his own glass down on the table and stretched his arms over his head. "Mmm~ I'm hoping it goes smoothly."

"Yeah me too." Sarah laughed and leaned over to her partner. "I think we should try the newest steps, don't you?" She fished out her phone and set it down, scooting closer to Jimmy. "Remember this step?"

"Hey uh, if you guys need help, you'll let me know, right?" The Dollies looked up to her and both nodded before putting their heads together and going back to work. ARC sighed and rest her head back in her chair, watching Kevin come back with a tray. She sat up as he set a plastic tray in front of her with a large bowl of pasta. She made a face. "Is this a joke?"

"Hey this is actually really good," Kevin said, handing her a fork. "Eat it. Don't be picky. 'Sides if you don't eat, I'll tell Edd." She narrowed her eyes at him and picked up her fork. "Thought so. I knew if I threatened ya with him, you'd eat." He stabbed at his own meal and casually ate it. Over the last week, he'd learned quite a bit more, and became better friends with this girl. His jealous feelings had dissipated, and instead became replaced with feelings of concern and worry. She cared for him; them. "Eat."

"Stop it. You aren't my mother." She jabbed at her food. Jimmy and Sarah left moments later, bidding the duo a good afternoon. She turned her attention to him. "Thanks by the way."

"Don't mention it," he said, picking at his arm. She swat at him. "Hey ow. I'm just looking at it."

"Edd won't be angry with me, he'll be angry with you." She sighed and ate another bite. "Right. So I think I'll tell Jack that you're ready to go back out, with Edd's permission of course. Even with your bite, I think you'll be fine. Plus, I've got your back, and Edd will be with me." Her lips twitched when she noted the look on his face. "We wanna send you back out, to that same place."

"You're sending me out to die."

"No," she scoffed. "I'll send someone with ya. Maybe Johnny."

"Fuck no."

"Language, Kevin, please," came Edd's voice as he joined them at the table. "Ah, I see you're both eating. That is excellent." ARC smiled. "Have you informed him of our solution?" He watched Kevin then. "Even though I would rather have you wait until your arm is healed, I do believe you are more than capable of handling another case. However, I will have to examine you one more time before you do so." Kevin spooned a large fork full of pasta into his mouth. "What are you eating?"

"Something that claims it's an Italian dish, but actually isn't." ARC pushed her plate away then. She'd barely eaten any of it. Kevin swallowed his mouthful and pointed a fork at her, but she immediately stuffed her own fork into his mouth, eliciting a laugh from Eddward. "You open your mouth to scold me with food in it, and I'm shoving that fork where the sun doesn't shine. I'm not eating this garbage, it tastes awful. Not like you'd know. You probably have a stomach like a rock, and with the shit you eat, tapeworms."

"Now, now," Eddward laughed. "No need to get so angry. I'll find you something a bit more delectable to eat if you promise to not insult Kevin for the remainder of the day. He was, after all, just trying to make sure you ate. He knows your eating habits are rather terrible."

Kevin swallowed the two forkfuls of pasta in his mouth with some struggle and downed a glass of water to help. "Y-yeah, just trying to be nice!"

"Uh-huh."

Eddward quickly left the table, leaving the two to sit alone and bicker among themselves. He'd return with a plateful of proper food and set it before her. Kevin stared at the food, mouth practically watering. "I've brought you one as well, Kevin." He set the plate down before the redhead and sat beside him. "We'll eat, and then it's to the med wing. You won't mind the company, will you, Kevin? He's really rather sweet."

"Your target?" ARC asked with a grin. "I think I'll pass but you two have fun."

"Ugh, do I get to watch you kill someone?"

"Only if you want too, Kevin," Eddward grinned.


	6. A Little Piece of Heaven

_Must have stabbed him fifty fucking times, I can't believe it. Ripped his heart out right before his eyes, eyes over easy, eat it, eat it, eat it_

* * *

"Awe man _shut up_ ," Kevin yelled at the grunts and muffled cries of the man tied to the table in the medwing. "Piss it's cold in here. Why is it so cold in here?" He was looking at Eddward who was examining his injured arm. "Edd-"

"Quiet," said Eddward, pulling a light close to restitch the arm. "You're bleeding again. This injury appears to not have healed whatsoever. Although I know that is false as the skin is forming due to the previous stitching. However, whatever it was that actually bit you seems to have a chemical in its saliva to keep it bleeding. Similar to that of a mosquito or a tick."

"Ew." The muffled cries came again, along with struggling. Kevin glanced at the man. "So me then him?"

"Yes, you're more important at this given moment," he said, frowning at the arm. "This is highly perplexing and it troubles me more than it should. You're behaving rather well for someone who is terrified of needles." He carefully pressed the stitching through the soft flesh, a mound of gauze to catch the blood that oozed from it. Kevin's muscles tensed, his hand flexing into a fist. He was averting his eyes from the procedure.

"Eh, it's a different kind of needle," he admitted. "But I still don't like it."

"Indeed," Eddward chuckled. "Since you're behaving so well, I'll give you a treat afterwards."

"Do I get to pick what kinda treat I get?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"I'll think about it," Edd said honestly. He grabbed a pair of scissors and snipped the last stitching. Carefully, he wrapped the arm in gauze so the wound could breathe. Then, he shook some tablets into Kevin's hand and offered him some water. "This will have to do for now. I'll have to run some tests on your blood and see if I can come up with an antidote for this. Hopefully something will stop your profuse bleeding. The injury is something you can handle, I hope. Jack would really like you to go back to work."

"Yeah I really _want_ to go back to work." Kevin frowned, tossing the pills back with a gulp of water. He hissed in through his teeth. "Problem is this arm. I can't go alone if it keeps bleedin'."

"Yes, I might request to go with you," Eddward said. He disposed of the medical waste and cleaned up where he and Kevin were working while the ginger put clothes back on. Quietly, the surgeon removed his hat and coat, setting them aside on a chair. With a deep breath, he applied a surgeon's mask and an apron. He rolled up his sleeves, scrubbed his arms clean and donned gloves. Kevin watched him carefully lay out all of his instruments onto a silver tray before quietly taking it over to the man who struggled to break free. Kevin's heart started to pound rapidly in his chest.

"So uh... "

"If you wish to stay, you may," Eddward said, "but I cannot guarantee you will like what you witness." He paused, his voice lowered. "Even I don't like what I witness…" He took a deep breath and straightened himself. Beside him was a small recorder. "Kevin, if you could please?" The ginger perked up. "Right over there, if you would hit 'play' on that-yes. Thank you."

Classical music slowly filled the room. Kevin didn't recognize it, but he didn't know much about any type of music other than the few things he listened too. The room echoed in beautiful violin and Kevin watched as Eddward carefully hit the record button and began his process. He swallowed hard and kept his distance. He'd seen Eddward complete his tasks beforehand, but never without time constraints. He'd only ever heard the rumors.

It started with a simple incision. Eddward carefully told the man what he was doing to him, or maybe he told the machine? Either way, the process beginning was very simple. To relieve the man from too much pain and suffering, Eddward administered a painkiller. High levels of morphine through a drip bag. Kevin wanted to question why, but he knew Eddward was trying to concentrate.

The first incision came at the lateral antebrachial cutan, or the forearm. The victim couldn't quite feel it, but he could see it. As Eddward carefully slid the blade down the wrist, he spoke coldly and matter-of-factly into the small recorder beside him. "Suspect shows signs of distress. Skin is pliable though scarring shows multiple signs of drug use. Pity. Many of the organs may not be useful in the end." The blade stopped right before it hit any important veins and Eddward pulled the blade back. Blood formed and dribbled from the clean cut. Eddward frowned. "Suspect has poor blood flow. That is curious and mildly alarming."

The man on the table struggled and pulled at the bindings. The blood in the arm only pooled a bit more. Kevin watched with knots in his stomach as Eddward created another cut and this time removed the flesh from the arm. He had to block his ears from the man's muffled screams. After all, watching your own flesh be removed had to be rather frightening. Eddward carefully cut the flesh and placed it under a microscope, murmuring gently.

"Oh dear."

He pulled back and tsked through his teeth from behind the mask. He grasped the man's face and turned it up towards the light a bit more. Carefully, he forced the others eyes open and made a noise of disgust. "Fantastic. When did you become infected?"

The man made a sound that resembled a hearty fuck you. Eddward turned to Kevin, his eyes narrowed dangerously. It wasn't often Kevin saw this look. It was a warning. Carefully, Eddward returned his attention to the man and grasped another scalpel. With careful consideration, he began to make a few more incisions. The cut started from the belly button and made it's way up, practically skinning the human alive-

Kevin let the doors slam behind him as he heard screams echo from behind him. Whatever Eddward was about to do, he didn't want to see it. He shuddered, green eyes wide as he stared at the floor in front of him. He could hear pleading sobs from behind him and he had to move a few steps away from the door-

"Oh you saw, huh?"

He gasped and looked up to view the violet haired woman standing in front of him. "You knew?"

"Duh. There's a reason Jack wanted him. He had top scores in every class. But, he hates doing it. Having the knowledge of the human anatomy and knowing where it causes the most pain without death.. Who wants that knowledge?" She held out a mug with steaming liquid. Hot chocolate. Kevin took it. "It'll be okay. Good thing you left when you did-" She paused as the music was turned up and grimaced. "He must've found something. Music only gets louder when he has to end the life. This is why he hates bringing anyone back. Then he's forced to take his time."

The doors behind them opened and Eddward stepped out in boxers and his undershirt. ARC and Kevin stared at him. "Did you bring me some?"

"Uh… clothes?"

"Oh yes. Right. I was heading for a sanitary bath. Our friend has hepatitis. If you'll excuse me, I must scour my flesh. Thankfully, there were no cuts no my body, however I will have to examine my bloodwork in the next few days. What a nuisance. Good evening." He paused. "Oh ARC, if you could…"

"Already on it," she said. He nodded and walked away. Quietly, ARC sent a message on her phone before heading to the doors and locking them. A small box on the side of the doors was opened and she pressed her hand on it, entered a code and then a small alarm sounded. It was short lived, but a loudspeaker message echoed.

"Will the Ed Boys please stop everything they are doing and head to Medwing C. Immediately. Will the Ed Boys please stop everything they are doing and head to Medwing C. Immediately. That is all."

"I'll talk to you later Kevin," ARC said. "This is going to be a long night."


End file.
